Tango 4 Strings

Violinist Atle Sponberg, Soprano Ann-Helen Moen and Orkester Innlandet present their new album Tango 4 Strings.

This release on the LAWO Classics label is devoted in its entirety to the Tango. The ensemble’s artistic director, violinist Atle Sponberg, has long felt a close connection to the tango as a realm of expression. Thus, it seemed natural — and high time — for the orchestra to release an album with the tango as its recurring theme.

Sponberg says “Tango is a dance from the heart. Tango is a man and a woman in the search for each other, in the search for an embrace, a way of being together.”

“The Tango comes from inland areas and the coast, from seaman’s shanties. It comes from the African slaves and the Andalucian Gypsies. It has incorporated the guitar from Spain, the accordion from Germany, and the mandolin and the aria from Italy.”

Tango has always been performed with a variety of ensembles throughout its history. I have thus in the years commissioned arrangements for strings only — either solo violin and string section, or for chamber orchestra. There have been quite a few tangos through the years, so I thought it might be time to record them to preserve the soul and rhythm of the tango for string ensembles only. The tango can be intense, sentimental, sensual and passionate, as well as aggressive, rough and aching: both complex and simple at the same time.”

Atle Sponberg, Violinist & Artistic Director
Ann-Helen Moen, Soprano
Orkester Innlandet